


Who Else Would Ever Stay?

by crowboy13



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Autistic Character, Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, High School, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-03 00:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11521152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowboy13/pseuds/crowboy13
Summary: Anyone could've seen it a mile off. It's not their fault that they took so long getting round to it. [AKA: the childhood friends to lovers AU that every fandom needs]





	Who Else Would Ever Stay?

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I know it's a cliché, but I felt that the Ozqrow fandom needed one of those typical drawn-out friends-to-lovers real life AU fics. I've always loved this type of thing; sometimes you just want to read about your OTP's life in the real world as opposed to the weirdly depressing canon. The title is a lyric from the gorgeous song 'Marked For Death' by Emma Ruth Rundle. Enjoy!

The Branwen family weren't particularly interesting as a whole, blending in decently with all the others in their neighbourhood and avoiding controversy. Jay and Hana were good parents, if quiet; the only people who had any problem with them were the local Evangelists, eternally shocked by the lack of religion in the Branwen household. 

The kids sparked a little more curiosity in their suburban town, however: Raven was already a terror by age four, never seeming to sleep, and most children were scared of Qrow. He wasn't sure why - no amount of questioning from Hana or pestering from Jay would produce a solid answer. 

But they were nice kids, really. Being raised by teachers gave them a little more perspective and maturity than most of their peers. The only other child they knew who matched them in this way was the Ozpin boy. 

Eight years after Jay and Hana's marriage, almost six years on from the twins' birth, the family was forced to move out of their country home in one of the quieter parts of Texas. The only thing they brought with them was Jay's standout southern twang, Hana having left behind the remnants of her Korean language years before. 

When they arrived in the community of North Vale, the residents were immediately intrigued: a new family hadn't come to their town in decades, aside from the current heads of the local school. Everybody knew each other - their grandparents had been best friends, their great-grandparents old colleagues. All the kids attended the same elementary and middle school - the two were linked on the same site, both run by the Ozpin family - and the local church would marry a few pairs of childhood sweethearts each year. 

Hana had always wanted to be a teacher, and was overwhelmed with joy when Maria Ozpin had offered her a place in the elementary. But then the doubt kicked in: what would Jay do? Was a trainee teacher's salary enough to support the twins when her husband was still out of work? 

But of course, it all worked out in the end. Jay had one of the kindest hearts you'd ever see, and requested a place in the school alongside his wife the second he knew it was an option. A few years of babysitting experience was more than enough to convince Nathan and Maria Ozpin, an unconventional couple by most anyone's standards, and the Branwens found they were rebuilding a life much faster than they'd expected. 

~~~~~

"Qrow, honey, do you really need all this stuff for school?" Hana unzipped another pocket of her son's backpack to reveal yet more twigs and twine and pebbles. The young boy's face remained stern, as he crossed his arms and clamped his mouth shut. 

"He wants to play pirates with Ozpin," Raven piped up from the corner of their bedroom. She stuck out her tongue when he brother scowled at her in response. Hana sighed. 

" _Please_ don't tell me you've been making weapons to fight with the poor boy," she said, exasperated. Qrow's eyes widened in defiance. 

"I never hurt him!" he protested, reaching out a small hand to grab his bag back from his mother. She shook her head and rolled her cocoa eyes, but handed it over with a smile. 

"Just try and be a nice pirate, okay?" she said softly, ruffling Qrow's hair and gesturing for Raven to follow them as they headed downstairs. "I don't wanna get in trouble with the boy's parents, you know. He's a gentler child than you are - that's for sure." 

Qrow grinned. "I know, mom." 

The journey to school was composed of a ten minute walk down the hill, though it was often lengthened by sporadic conversations with local friends. Qrow didn't really like how much he and his sister stood out, walking behind two teachers, but it wasn't too bad. He just wished the other kids weren't so scared of him. 

Scanning the crowd of those at his eye-level, he found the silver mop of hair he'd search for every weekday morning. Clumsily tapping Raven on the shoulder to let her know he'd spotted him, he scampered off to meet his friend. 

"Hey, Oz!" Qrow exclaimed, a little too loud as he caught up to the other boy. Ozpin's ginger-ale eyes were wide as saucers for a second before crinkling into a smile. "D'you wanna play pirates again today?" 

"I keep telling you, I'm no good at sword-fighting," he replied, voice practically a whisper in contrast with Qrow's. The paler boy hitched the straps of his bag up, shifting a little on his feet. 

"You could always be a mermaid," Qrow said, a toothy smirk shining from his milk-tea face. "Then I can save ya." Ozpin's light eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. 

"I don't think pirates save mermaids. Are you thinking of knights and princesses?" 

"No, that's  _silly_ ," Qrow insisted. "Come on, it'll be fun!" 

Nathan placed a hand on his son's shoulder, smiling at the two of them in turn. He had to admit that their friendship had surprised him at first: Qrow had initially seemed to him like the type that would bully Ozpin, loud and strong and hyperactive. Yet he had quickly (and thankfully) been proven wrong, the male Branwen twin taking the older boy under his wing after just a month in North Vale Town, and their bond had been going strong for over two years by then. 

~~~~~

_"Sorrel, have you noticed that some new people moved in recently?" The boy nodded, brown eyes solemn._

_"Yeah," he said, "three weeks and four days ago. Are the brother and sister twins?" Nathan chuckled at his son's ever-present curiosity and observant nature._

_"I believe so, yes. Have you spoken to them at all?" Sorrel's gaze darted down and to the side; he chewed on a few strands of platinum hair as he shook his head. "It's alright, don't worry. But I think they're gonna come say hi today. Is that okay?"_

_Sorrel's doe eyes met the hazel of his father's. He could feel his hands twitching and trembling as they always did when he was nervous about something, so clenched his bony fists and took a deep breath. After a few moments, he nodded up at his father once more, met by a proud smile from Nathan._

_The two of them joined Maria on the front porch, Sorrel quickly moving to stand behind his mother's legs. His parents talked to each other in tones too hushed for Sorrel to distinguish from the rush of the breeze and the continuous shrieking of the cicadas. Instead, the boy focused his stare on the family coming out of the front door opposite theirs._

_At six years old, the Branwen twins looked strikingly similar. The same tanned skin; the same wild, jet-black hair; the same hooded lids above red-brown irises. They both wore cropped cargo pants and tattered t-shirts - the most obvious differences between them were the scarlet ribbon in Raven's hair and the fact that Qrow wasn't wearing shoes or socks. Sorrel looked down at his clean trainers and pressed jeans, unsure what to make of the contrast._

_"Hi, Hana, Jay!" Maria called across the street, her lilting Irish accent seeming to float in the air for a moment before reaching the other family. Hana Branwen gave them a sunny smile as she ushered her children forward, her tall husband following proudly behind them._

_"Hello Maria," the ebony-haired woman greeted, "is this Nathan?"_

_Sorrel tuned out as the adults spoke, turning to face the twins. They were shorter than him at that point, and more stony-faced than the other kids his age; this was somewhat comforting to him, as he'd always been chastised for looking too sad or confused when he thought he just looked normal. Raven, the girl, was listening to their parents talk attentively, an oddly grown-up expression on her rounded face. But Qrow, her brother, was watching Sorrel._

_The boy tilted his head to one side as he looked up at Sorrel, fascinating burgundy eyes narrowing. Sorrel, always uncomfortably with people staring at him, broke the eye contact - but then Qrow just beamed at him, gap-toothed and unhesitant, and Sorrel wanted to giggle._

_"Your hair's kinda weird," Qrow informed him conversationally, stretching out an arm to touch the silver mess before seeming to remember that he shouldn't do that. Sorrel frowned, hurt for a second, and the other boy quickly corrected himself. "I like it!"_

_"Thank y-you," Sorrel sputtered shyly, wracking his brain for what to say next. What was polite in this situation? It was difficult to tell: Qrow, while friendly, didn't seem to adhere to the general idea of manners._

_"I'm Qrow!" the shorter boy interrupted before Sorrel could end his train of thought, thrusting out a hand. Maria looked down at her son encouragingly, green eyes promising that it would all be okay._

_"My name is Sorrel Ozpin," he said, tentatively returning the handshake._

_"That's a cool name. But I think your surname suits you better. I'm gonna call you Oz."_

**Author's Note:**

> So what's everyone thinking so far? This chapter was originally going to be a lot longer, so I'm sorry about that, but I just wanted to get the first bit out there for some extra motivation.


End file.
